*FINISHING STRONG: LESSONS FROM UZZIAH* 

 _We should beware of spiritual indifference._ 

Blindness to spiritual things doesn’t come first. Arrogance

and presumption don’t come first. There is something that

comes before these things; there is something that provides

the necessary soil for these poisonous plants to germinate and

grow. And that something is spiritual indifference. It’s an ever￾so-gradual cooling of your spiritual temperature. It’s an ever￾so-subtle fading of your love for the Lord Jesus. It’s as silent

and subtle as a slow moving shadow.

One minute you’re

sitting in the sun, reading your newspaper, and enjoying the

warmth and radiance. Then suddenly you feel cool, and you

look up and realize you’ve been sitting in the shade for some

time. The sun and warmth have long since passed by.

 _You’re not seeking Jesus Christ the way you once did._ 

 _You’re not hungrily diving into the Word the way you once

did._ 

 _You’re not enjoying the company of other believers the way

you once did._ 

 _You’re not delighting in quiet walks and talks with God the

way you once did._ 

You’re in the shadow, a long way from the Son, and you

don’t even know how you got there or how your heart became

so cold.

It’s not too late to move back into the sunlight! It’s not too

late to turn away from false standards of “success” and seek

the Lord with all your heart. How did Paul put it?

 _Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor,

serving the Lord. (Romans 12:11, NIV)_ 

Uzziah started so well, lived up to so much of his potential,

but finished out of the race. Why? Because he got suckered by

pride. The greatest sin. As Lewis put it:

The essential vice, the utmost evil, is pride.

Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are

mere fleabites in comparison. It was through pride that the

devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other vice; it is

the complete anti-God state of mind.

Ask God to open your eyes and show you your pride. And

be prepared that He may use your wife, or your kids, or a friend

to point it out to you. And ask Him to give you the grace not to

be defensive when they tell you.

Ask God to give you the courage to face it.

And deal with it.

And crush it.

Every day.

_Excerpt from the book: FINISHING STRONG by Steve Farrar_

WAXING STRONG

I pray that you will be blessed as you read this article in Jesus' name.

Waxing strong means growing larger in strength.

The book of Luke 2:40 says, "And the child grew, and WAXED STRONG IN SPIRIT, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him". The moment one gets born again, such becomes a child in God's hands, just as every parent expect their children to grow physically,  God also  expects all His children to wax strong in the spirit. Based on the aforementioned, "to wax strong means to grow larger in strength".

When it comes to waxing strong in the spirit, some points are very key: 

Divine revelation gotten from the place of intimacy: waxing strong in faith begins from your personal altar. There is a limit to which the word of God from the pulpit or other sources can take you in the realm of waxing strong for God. Personal fellowship is very salient and that is why the Bible says, "he who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty" - Psalm 91:1. The scripture did not say "he who fellowship in the church", "he who serve the Lord" or "he who becomes born again;" but it explicitly made it clear that he who has a personal altar or secret place of fellowship with God will dwell under his shadow and of course you can't grow weary under God's shadow, you will rather wax stronger.

If we are to ask our role models in the faith about the secrets to their exploits, we will discover that the things that helped them were received in the place of intimacy with God.

The global pandemic warranted that all worship centers be closed but those who had developed intimacy with God personally before the pandemic continue to flourish without noticing the effects of the pandemic. Someone testified that the blessings he experienced during this period were beyond ordinary; this is possible because the Bible says, "when others say there is a casting down we (those who have an intimate relationship with God) will say, there is a lifting up - Job 22:29.

  

Exercising the power of choice: waxing strong in Spirit is by choice. There is always a place of choice in the factors that bring about any desired result. In all situations you will be opened to the freedom of choosing either the positive or negative as the case may be; you can choose light instead of darkness; you can choose to wax stronger in the spirit instead of growing weary. The book of Deuteronomy 30:19 says, "I call heaven and Earth to record against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live". 

Fasting, prayer and commitment to the study of the word: These three factors are the primary keys to waxing strong in the spirit. Jesus could have compromised the will of God if He didn't pray in the garden of Gethsemane. He also fasted for forty days and nights and not only that, He was always expanding the scriptures to multitudes out of the abundance of what He has studied. Jesus is our best example if He fasted, prayed and studied the scriptures. It is necessary we do the same.

Note: Waxing strong in the Spirit is a conscious daily exercise. Stagnancy is not permitted, you must keep getting stronger.

Prayer Points 

1) Father I thank you for your word 

2) I receive the grace to develop an intimate relationship with you like never before in Jesus name.

3) I choose to be strong in the Lord and I will never be weary in Jesus name.

4) I receive the grace to tarry in the place of prayer, to seek more strength by fasting and to dig out more mysteries through studying the scripture.

5) Say a word of positive prayer for our Nation.